Island Life Magazine Ltd April/May 2011 | Page 137

Island Life - April/May 2011

food

Matt Whishaw from The
Island Wine Company
recommends interesting and
unusual white wines
With the arrival of British summertime and the warmer
weather, the focus of wine sales in the shop has swung
from red towards white. It is no surprise that the best selling
grapes are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio,
which all have loyal followings, but if you limit your drinking
to these grapes, you miss out on some absolute gems.
The white wines which have surprised me and given me
most pleasure in recent weeks have come from Italy and
Spain: Countries better known for their reds, but where
winemakers have embraced modern technology and
revolutionised their white wine production in the process.
The Albarino grape from Rias Baixas in Galicia has been one
of my favourites for a while. Good young Albarino balances
delicate floral fruit with fresh acidity and mineral depth. One
sip and I am crying out for seafood! Albarino may currently
be fashionable here, but the Spanish have already transferred
their affections to another Galician grape. Godello shares the
mineral depth of Albarino, but has extra layers of richness
and complexity. If you want to keep up with the Spanish ‘in
crowd’ this summer, you should have a bottle of Godello with
your tapas.
Traditionally Italian whites have been a bit neutral and
lacking in fruit, but there is a white wine making revolution
occuring. I have been struck by the quality and value of
wines from both north and south. Subtle, almond scented
Garganega from the Soave region in Veneto in the north, and
crisp modern citrus whites from the Catarratto and Inzolia
grapes in hot and sunny Sicily.
Most exciting of all was a Grechetto from Umbria in
central Italy. This unheralded and low yielding grape is a
key component in the wines of Orvieto, but unscrupulous
producers have preferred the bland but high yielding
Trebbiano, to the detriment of the quality and export success
of Orvieto. At a recent tasting Sportoletti’s Grechetto was
rich and complex enough to fool me into thinking it was
an expensive barrel aged white, yet it is neither oaked nor
expensive. I will definitely be uncorking another bottle soon.
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